15 October 2024 Julian Parmegiani

Food review by Mark Bradford and wine review by Stephen O'Halloran

Food

Responding to his “call to the kitchen”, Tuesday saw first-time chef of the day Dr Julian Parmegiani preparing, not surprisingly, an Italian-themed lunch.  He was assisted by members Rob Guthrie and Paul Mitchell with canapes, and friend Jordan in the kitchen along with the REX team.

Canapes

Rob’s first offering was a goat’s curd tartlet.  The filling was a combination of goat’s curd and ricotta with mint, topped with finely sliced zucchini and zucchini flowers marinated in olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a little chilli oil.  Dressed with crushed pistachios and micro herbs, this was a colourful and tasty way to commence our lunch.

Next up was Rob’s polenta croutons with sausage and mushrooms. These were a thin spread of nduja sausage atop polenta croutons, with mushrooms fried off in oil and garlic.  The meat – no skin – was from a pork and fennel sausage, with a slice of Fontina cheese and baked for 10 – 15 minutes. Rob explained that nduja is a spreadable, delightfully spicy sausage from the southern part of Calabria, characterised by its flaming red hue thanks to the region’s native Calabrian red chillies.

We ended the canape course with Paul’s Caprese skewers.  These were Mozzarella balls tossed in olive oil, garlic powder and kosher salt, then an Italian mix of oregano, basil, capsicum, rosemary, parsley and time; refrigerated overnight.  Then skewered along with cherry tomatoes, tossed in the same Italian mix, and basil leaves.  Drizzled with balsamic before serving.

Thank you, Rob and Paul. Lots of effort went into the canapes today, which were aplenty.

Main

Julian served us pasta with fennel pork sausage ragu.  The fettuccini was hand made using flour (80% durum and 20% plain), eggs and water – the magic of a Philips Pasta Maker extruding the fettuccini in a mere three minutes. Then sprinkled with flour and stored in a sealed container separated by tea towels.

The soffritto was made with garlic, celery, carrots and onion, boiled off with red wine. Large fennel pork sausages were broken into small clumps and browned, mixed with the soffritto and Mutti Polpa Pronta tinned tomatoes, a pinch of chilli and simmered for two hours.  Fried prosciutto cut into small strips was used to make the fettuccini crunchy.

The pasta was cooked in boiling water for two minutes and then in some ragu for two to three minutes to emulsify.  The dish came to the table with the pasta on a bed of ragu, more ragu on top, parmesan and fresh basil, with chilli on the side.  The pasta was a little “al dente”, authentic to a rustic Italian meal.  Jordan prepared a side of salad with a delicious acidic dressing that was a perfect accompaniment to the protein.

A good hearty authentic Italian dish.  Congratulations Julian on your first Society meal and may there be many more to come.

Cheese

In theme, the Cheesemaster presented Auricchio Provolone Dolce, a hard cow’s milk cheese from Lombardy.  This pasta filata, or stretched curd cheese, is kneaded and stretched while still hot and pliable, before being hand-formed into massive sausage-shaped rolls known as ‘salame’ Auricchio Provolone is made in the Po Valley in Northern Italy using fresh milk from surrounding farms.  Handcrafting ensures a compact texture and prevents folds from forming in the curd which might trap air and compromise quality during the slow maturation process. Once formed, the salame are brined for more than a week before maturation.  The resulting cheese has a soft, compact texture with bright milky flavours and excellent melting properties.

The cheese was accompanied with figs, muscatels, quince paste and walnuts.

During the cheese course we arose to a toast proposed by the President for long-time Member and former Cellarmaster Paul Ferman, who sadly passed away in hospital on the previous Saturday.

Wine

The report for today will be my shortest ever as we all enjoyed only one wine, the Wynns Coonawarra Cab 2006. This was as a result of the appointed wines for today not being ordered, a real test for our Wine Master.  

We ended up drinking a number of wines, all of which were very enjoyable, but the Wynns was the only one that everybody tasted. The wine itself was excellent and travelling very well for an 18 yo. The vintage of 2006 was highly regarded by Wynns and the quality of the year was reflected in the wine. A strongly flavoured wine, dense purple/black fruit with classic Cabernet taste at 14%. It showed very firm tannin and oak on the back palate, a classic Coonawarra. This wine never fails to impress, hence a WFS favourite. The wine had plenty of acid to ensure many years of good drinking ahead. I would like to review it again in 5 years. 

1 October 2024 James Hill and Hal Epstein

Food review by Mark Bradford and wine review by Stephen O'Halloran

Food

A special Oktoberfest lunch today, inspired by Hal Epstein, the departure from the usual routine being applauded by the gents on the day.  Lederhosen was not obligatory, and none were worn. The ever-reliable former present James Hill was in the Küche performing his magic.

Canapés

We commenced with freshly baked pretzels and rye bread from the “German Bakery” Laugenring in the MetCentre at Wynyard Station, a good way to wash down our German beer.

Hal provided canapes aplenty, covering a variety of German-style sausages both grilled and boiled, available locally.  In Hal’s words, “Curry Wurst seems to be a developed German vogue favoured in Berlin: bratwurst with a piquant sauce, basically tomato sauce with a bit of chilli added.  Today, currywurst is often sold as a take-out or take-away food, Schnellimbisse (snack stands), at diners or ‘greasy spoons’, on children's menus in restaurants, or as a street food and usually served with chips or bread rolls (Brötchen).  It is popular all over Germany but especially in the metropolitan areas of Berlin, Hamburg and the Ruhr Area. Considerable variation, both in the type of sausage used and the ingredients of the sauce, occurs between these areas”.

Next was Liverwurst pâté and sauerkraut on “Fritz” biscuits. Wurst…Hal insisted on the lunchers getting the “wurst” pronunciation somewhat near “richtig” or correct, i.e. something like “Vurst”!

And then the best of the Wurst did the rounds. Bratwurst (pork) grilled with curry ketchup. Nurnburger (pork) grilled with mild German mustard. Kransky (pork) boiled with sweet Bavarian mustard. Weisswurst (veal and pork) boiled with curry ketchup. Treasurer Steve Libeskind asked why we prepare fancy appetisers when we can be filled with Wurst.  A brisk walk to Circular Quay and back would have been welcomed before commencing the main. Hal provided a useful addition with carefully hand-printed labels for each dish on the hand-around plates.

Main

James cooked us braised pork neck with brandy mash, cabbage and sauerkraut.

The seasoned rolled whole neck pork was cooked with brown sugar and wholegrain mustard flamed with brandy.  It was then simmered in parsley, sage and chicken stock for two hours at 150 C, then removed from the simmering sauce and cooked for 40 minutes at 170 C.  It was then rested for an hour while the sauce was reduced by half and prunes were added.  The sauce was served over the pork.
It was accompanied with confit garlic mashed potatoes (45 minutes in vegetable oil), sauerkraut and choux flamande – red cabbage cooked for 75 minutes in water, cider vinegar, butter, brown sugar and Granny Smith apples.

A great meal applauded by the members and guests on the day.

Cheese

The Cheese Master had difficulty sourcing a suitable German cheese, so he opted for a Firstkönig mountain cheese selected by KäseSwiss and thought to be a first for the Society.  It is named after the Churfirsten mountain range that dominates the Toggenburg region in the northeast of Switzerland and appears on the label that crowns the cheese wheel.  The cheese was thought to be a good match for the two Rieslings today; a rarity to experience two white wines with the cheese course.

Reto Güntensberg combines his family’s expertise in Appenzeller production at Butschwil Dairy with traditional cheese cultures to bring a modern approach to Swiss cheesemaking.  Unlike Appenzeller, this bergkäse – or mountain cheese – is made from whole unpasteurised milk.  Over the three months of maturation, the wheel is lightly washed in brine to encourage the development of a bacterial rind.  When fully mature, an amber-coloured rind surrounds a dense paste that yields a creamy and herbaceous flavour and delicate spicy finish.

James accompanied the cheese with seasonal berries – strawberries, raspberries and blueberries.  A good selection and well-liked.

Wine

Today the German festivities of Octoberfest landed at the REX for the enjoyment of WFS members, and enjoy we did. German wine and beer together with a superb roast pork neck presented by one of our top chefs, James Hill. See the food report for details.

We kicked off with a delightful German Beer Geheimnis, very enjoyable as a lead into our first German white a 2017 Wittmann Trocken Rhinehessen Riesling 12%. Now at 7 years of bottle age, this wine was drinking beautifully. Great aroma, medium texture, pale yellow with excellent balance between fruit and acid. Typically, Mosel style, mouth filling, but with a clean, clear crisp finish. A perfect wine for the delicious pass arounds. I hope we have some more of this.  

We began the luncheon wines with a Daniel Bouland Corcelette Morgon 2021. 13%. This sadly was not an enjoyable wine, a bad bottle I suspect, as I have at home several bottles of this wine and they are drinking very well. I found the wine initially acceptable, but as I drank on, the wine began to show some unpleasant features. Unbalanced, flabby and maybe some cork taint. This made for considerable disappointment as normally a high quality Morgon such as this is much in demand due to its velvety smooth, yet powerful Gamay flavours. Normally a serious wine. A pity.

The second red was a Freycinet Pinot from Tasmania 2020 14%. A delightful wine with a medium pinot structure with abundant fruit. Hints of raspberry and cherry were there. A nice balance between oak, some fine tannin and acid produced a wine of silky texture with a lingering finish. Plenty of time ahead. Great wine with the pork.

The two cheese wines were both excellent. First a Egon Muller Scharzhof Mosel Riesling 2013 10.5%. A wonderful aroma of quality fruit in true Mosel tradition. Pale green colour, ripe and intense with hints of apple and lime. Probably drinking at its peak, but with plenty of good years ahead. A top quality Mosel Riesling with a delightful finish, alluring and very Moorish. The final wine of the day was another Riesling, the famous Dr Loosen Mosel Kabinett 2017, 8%. Again, a wonderful example of top quality German Riesling, nobody else can produce wines quite like these.  Makes you wonder why there has been such a dramatic fall off in sales of German wines in Australia since the 1970s. These wines are quite special and deserve recognition for their unique qualities.  This wine was again filled with abundant citrus-flavoured fruits, great acid/fruit balance with a crisp non cloying finish. Of the two I slightly preferred the 2013 Ergon Muller, but there was nothing in it.

Either of these two wines would be the perfect companion in your luncheon basket to some ripe peaches, on a sunny afternoon beside a stream with a Fraulein of your heart’s desire. Bliss, but don’t forget the Aerogard!!

24 September 2024 Steve Sparkes

Food review by James Hill and wine review by Stephen O'Halloran

Food

Our Foodmaster Steve Sparkes was in the kitchen for our monthly wine tasting.

Canapes

Good mix of canapés today all happily devoured by members. One member said the best canapés ever!

• Tuna Pâté

This one consisted of a tin of tuna in oil, anchovies, shallots and onion sauteed until golden, a decent slug of Sherry, bay leaf, and tarragon as well as a good whack of butter and seasoning. All blended together at high speed for 5-10 mins (without bay leaves!!) and served on a tomato and basil cracker.

This was a favourite, and many requested the recipe. It was parfait-like in texture with perfectly integrated rich flavours.

• Duck Rillette

Confit of duck maryland shredded with a blend of herbs, some duck fat and duck stock. Served on toasted baguette.

• Fig and Prosciutto

The third canape was a halved fig stuffed with goat cheese, wrapped in prosciutto and baked in a hot oven for 10 mins.  It was then cooled and drizzled with honey, balsamic vinegar and black pepper prior to serving.

Main

A lot of preparation in today’s main, It looked simple “meat and two veg” but what grabbed us first was the presentation, the glaze on the duck and the silky mash. The dish was a great bridge to the wines on taste today.

Confit of Duck

The duck marylands were 'dry marinated' with some garlic, thyme, onion, carrot, tarragon, orange rind, black peppercorns, allspice berries, crushed juniper berries, fennel seeds, star anise, fenugreek seeds and cumin seeds overnight.

It was then cooked sous-vide at 75C for about 12 hours and then laid out on trays in its own fat in the fridge overnight.

On the day, the duck was flashed in a hot oven for a few minutes and then painted with a glaze for a few more minutes until crispy and shiny just prior to service. The glaze consisted of brown sugar, sherry vinegar and some marmalade.

The duck was served with a basic mash and green beans dressed with EVOO, raspberry vinegar as well as some toasted almond flakes for a bit of crunch.

The sauce/jus/gravy was a bottle of red heavily reduced with a decent amount of Creme de Cassis liqueur and a lot of diced shallots. A couple of litres or so of intense chicken and duck stock was added and reduced to the required consistency. 

Comments reflected the quality of the lunch today.

Thanks Steve.

Cheese

Our Cheesemaster Mark Bradford managed to secure some Pyengana reserve vintage cloth-bound cheddar.

A cow’s milk from Tasmania, it’s handcrafted from a 130-year-old recipe unique to Pyengana and matured in traditional cheese cloth for 24 months.

A great example of this cheese today, crumbly, bold, bitey and some crystals.

So good, Patto pocketed his leftovers!

The cheese was accompanied by a simple salad of mixed leaves dressed in red wine vinegar and olive oil with some added toasted almonds and a rather intense beetroot jam.

The bread was the standard large sourdough loaf from Bourke Street Bakery in Newtown. 

Wine

A splendid lunch delivered via the skills of one of our multi-talented chefs Steve Sparkes. Le Canard was the dish, for those not familiar with French, Duck. A brilliant main, with some superb pass-arounds. See the Food report for more details. With regard to the wines, our stand-in Wine Master Paul Irwin, had selected for us an array of our finest Australian reds, for our considered opinion, ranging from a 1990 Yarra Yering Dry Red No 1 to a 2012 Penfolds Bin 389, and plenty of goodies in between. So, let's get started.

The aperitif wine was an aged Lindemans Bin 0555 Sem from the Hunter Vintage 2005 12%. Sealed under screw cap the wine was in great presentation, clear, no browning or deep yellow colour you would expect from a 19 yo white. That is where the praise stops with the first bottle opened. I could almost not drink it, such was the overpowering acidity of the wine. It killed any further assessment of the wine. You would think that after 19 years the acid would be falling away, but not with this baby, getting more acidic as time progresses. However, redemption was at hand with a second or third bottle, which were totally different, and highly enjoyable, as you would expect from a top Hunter Sem from a great year. Talk about bottle variation. Under Stelvin you would think this would not happen, but it did today. I was stunned by the difference between the two bottles I tasted. The “Good” bottles saved the day, delightful, fresh, well-balanced Hunter Sem.

The main/cheese wines were from any objective viewpoint, a cavalcade of great Australian wines of the last 25 years. Read on gentle reader and let me guide you through this cornucopia of our best and fairest First off was a crowd favourite the Penfolds Bin 389 14.5%. Let me put my cards on the table for a moment. We had three Bin 389 today so when I say the wine was in the Penfolds style/formula, tannin, oak and alcohol, you will know what I mean. Their red wines never vary from this format. Very predictable, but you know what you’re getting. This wine was the 2012, very highly regarded by Penfolds. Very dark fruit colour, with hints of mulberry and blackberry. Great balance between oak, tannin and acid producing a firm finish. I would not call this wine “elegant” as it is too muscular at present. Perhaps it may achieve this description when Penfolds says it will achieve its full potential in 2040! If anybody has at that stage some connection with the afterlife, please let me know if Penfolds are correct!

Red wine No 2 was the 2012 Lindemans Limestone Ridge Shiraz Cab.14%. My pick of the litter. Lighter in structure than any of the Penfolds wines, this was a beauty. The brilliant clear colour of cherry red, elegant yet powerful, balanced with some mild oak and tannin showing, leading to a drawn-out sweetish fruit-driven finish. I picked up hints of chocolate and blackberry. A really enjoyable drink.

Wine 3 was another 389 2002 14%. I rated this wine above the 2012. The usual Penfolds style, but in my view better than the 2012 above. Perhaps the 2012 needed more time, as with this wine we had ten extra years of maturity and development. 54/46% split of Cab and Shiraz 14%. Very strong flavours of dark fruits, but combining well with the tannin, oak and residual acid to produce a beautifully balanced wine, dare I say a classic 389 with predictions by Penfolds to drink well until 2045!

Wine 4 the Hardys Eileen Shiraz 2002 14%, was to my taste a somewhat sad wine, at least in so far as the bottle on our table was concerned. Maybe there were other bottles in the room that fared better. The colour was still black/purple but the acid had fallen away to a considerable extent, leaving the wine, to my palate, dull and flabby. Perhaps 22 years is just too long for this wine,10 years would have produced a better outcome for this well-regarded wine.

Wine 5 was another 389 this time a very old one, 1991 13.5%. Drinking very well in the Penfolds style. Strong tannin and oak. This wine to me was a different 389 to the earlier bottles probably because it was 11 years older than the 2002 we had beforehand. It had the usual mix of black fruits and cherry flavours. Despite its age, the wine drank very well.

The final wine, the famed Yarra Yering Dry Red No 1 from 1990 was to many the wine of the day at 13%. A Cabernet blend of assorted French Cabernets and a dash of Malbec. I think it is fair to say this wine has achieved cult-like status amongst keen Australian wine lovers. At 24 yo the wine still had plenty of time left, no obvious ageing. Superb palate, rich and complex, with a firm finish. All round a great wine doing credit to its reputation. Near perfect balance, great length. Justly regarded by many as the wine of the day.

17 September 2024 Amosh

Food review by James Hill and wine review by James Tinslay

Food

The talented team of Amosh (Head chef) and Madan (sous chef) were in the kitchen today answering our Foodmaster’s call to help fill a gap in our cooking roster. We welcomed Vice President Frank Liebeskind and Foodmaster Steve Sparkes back to the fold after extensive research and education travel in Europe!

Canapés

Nepalese food in the main is aromatic and canapés and today a great example, full of flavour and not overly spicy.

Cheese-stuffed grilled okra

Okra is in season now and they were stuffed with sun-dried tomatoes, smoked buffalo mozzarella, coriander, scallions and a touch of harissa.

Chicken chow mein spring rolls 

Dan dan noodles and chicken thigh fillets marinated in yoghurt and fresh lime juice, seasoning, turmeric, ginger, garlic paste and chat masala.

Some debated whether should it have a dipping sauce, but I thought it had very good flavour, as it was.

Nepalese style pork tostada

Deep fried wonton pastry topped with a slaw of cabbage, vinegar and salt and pepper with pork shoulder curry.

A lot of preparation was involved with the canapés today and they were much appreciated and commented on by members.

Main

Amosh chose to keep it simple with a goat curry and two vegetables.

Spice and heat was evident providing a good layer of flavour and textures, the curry had no bones or gristle and was perfectly tender.

-Alu ko tarkari (potato dish) roasted potato cooked with duck fat, onion, tomato, coriander and spices

-Khasi ko masu (goat curry) mustard oil marinated goat shoulder with Nepalese spices

-Makai ko chyakhla (corn grits) cooked like polenta in milk finished with scallion, coriander and brown butter.

Cheese

Our Cheesemaster was rewarded with a day off and the cheese sourced by our team it was a Binnorie dairy cows milk triple cream brie cheese from the Hunter Valley.

It came to the table a little cool masking the flavour and resulting texture was quite firm. It was served with marinated figs and quince paste.

Wine

Pikes Riesling 2022 (12% al). The zesty purity and precision of this Clare Riesling make it a fine way to start the lunch with the spice of the canapes. Wonderful drinking now but for those that prefer developed flavours then the wine should age well. Why wait when it's so drinkable now?

Soumah Hexham Vineyard Equilibrio Pinot Noir 2021 (13.5% al). A lighter style of Pinot with an already browning meniscus. The Equilibrion range is this maker's top echelon, and this elegant wine shows some mushroom character and was the better of the two Pinots. I would drink now.

Helen’s Hill The Smuggler Reserve Pinot 2022 (12.8% al). Not much of a Pinot character and came across more as a Shiraz et al. However, the heat in the main course played a part in this. Very fruity with solid tannins. Not my sort of Pinot but well liked by some with possibly a more heat-resistant palate.

Best’s Great Western Bin 0 Shiraz 2015 (14% al). A rich and ripe Shiraz typical of the Best’s style so much liked by many members. Black fruits but not stewed or extracted just very familiar old fashioned Aussie red. Drinking well now but some would prefer to cellar it further.

Franklin Estate Isolation Ridge Shiraz 2016 (14% al). This medium-bodied Shiraz has cooler fruit source overtones that befit the region. Quite elegant with some spice evident. At its peak.

10 September 2024 Matthew Holmes

Food review by James Hill and wine reviews by Steve Liebeskind and Charles Hargrave (two for the price of one!)

Food

They say membership has its rewards and members certainly appreciated the first class offering of food and wine for today’s lunch.

In the kitchen, 2023 Seafood Chef of the Year, was Matt Holmes presenting his fish and chips.

We welcomed a new member to our society today, Colin O’Connor, and he was presented with a Society bow tie, our history “A Table of Delights” and a Society badge by acting Chair Steve Liebeskind.

Canapés

The first canape, prepared by Mark Bradford, was roast beef with a grilled red pepper garnish, sat on a bed pesto and a pumpernickel base. The pesto was the dominant flavour, with a good texture, along with cashew basil pesto and pumpernickel.

The second canape was courtesy of Paul Thorne, named “fisheye anchovy” by Greg Chugg it was white anchovies wrapped around pepper-stuffed olives, sitting on blini.

Main

Inspired by his time living in London Matt produced a meal of

reimagined fish-n-chips, laid down on a sheet of newspaper to evoke memories of seaside meals: all we needed were a few seagulls screeching in the background.

The fish was Kingfish with parmesan and panko crumbed crust.

The panko crumbs were given a flavour lift with garlic and parsley and plenty of olive oil to produce a glazed, golden-brown finish. The hidden ingredient to adhere the crumbs to the fish was Dijon mustard, not flour and egg as would be the usual option. The mustard also added to the flavour without overpowering the fish.

You can't have fish and chips without mushy peas and in this case, they were cooked in chicken stock and mint, some said the hero on the plate. The homemade tartare sauce was a combination of mayonnaise, sour cream, dill, cornichons, capers and lemon juice.

The chips were triple-cooked Desiree potatoes in a Jenga stack, always well received.

Very well executed and presented there were many comments on the quality of food presented today. A great combination of flavours and texture, as fitting a CoTY nomination.

Bread Bourke Street bakery bread today, soy and linseed served with the main and semi-sourdough baguette with cheese.

Cheese

Cheese master Mark Bradford, in theme, presented a Cropwell Bishop Stilton from Nottinghamshire England a blue cow’s milk cheese. It came to the table in perfect condition today.

This cheese is soft, sweet and savoury with a mild blue mould finish that has notes of honey, leather, tobacco and molasses.

Stilton is one of Britain’s best-known PDO cheeses made in the counties of Nottingham, Derby & Leicester using local, full cream pasteurised milk. Cropwell Bishop Dairy is one of the smallest producers - a family-owned business operating for 3 generations.

Curds are hand ladled into cylindrical moulds; a time-consuming and painstaking process, but one that helps to preserve the structure of the curd and deliver a smooth rich textured cheese. During maturation, the crusty rind forms naturally, encouraged by rubbing and brushing, and after spiking, blueing radiates from the centre.

Simply served with pears Beurre Bosc and Delicious, dates and walnuts.

Wine

(Editor comment: Sorry boys, neither of you reached the poetry of normal reviewer Stephen O'H's reminiscing of drinking a wine with a beautiful young lady in some exotic location etc etc. Thank you both for putting your hands up in Stephen's absence)

1. Charles Hargrave comments

An excellent fish dish deserves an exceptional selection of wines. This week’s wines were on the money. In fact they were more like a wine lunch. Unfortunately, only 30 very fortunate members joined us today.
 
A 2019 William Fèvre Petit Chablis ($50) was served with the canapés. It’s a popular brand with a wide range of cuvées in their portfolio. This wine, however, was a disappointment. Bottled under screw cap, their characters varied from pale, pure Chablis to yellow and oxidised. Coincidentally, I met with someone from the importer (Negociants) the next day and commented on these faults. Apparently Fèvre have since stopped using screw cap until they resolve these issues. Our most recent purchase of the 2022 version is now under cork (Diam)
 
The main was served with two very different burgundies. The first, a 2018 William Fèvre Chablis (under cork - $65) was in excellent condition. Showing the recognisable mineral Chablis notes with tension, freshness and finesse. Whereas Petit Chablis (20% of production) is grown on the upper slopes (often facing north) on lighter, silty soils, the Chablis (65% of production) is on grown on the lower slopes with much older soils, rich in oyster shell, dating to the Jurassic period. These differences are reflected in the intensity of the wines. 

2. Steve Liebeskind comments

Canapé wine

• 2019 Domaine William Fevre Petit Chablis

Vintage Notes: The 2019 vintage in Chablis was marked by favourable weather, producing wines with excellent ripeness and balance. A cooler spring and early summer were followed by a warmer ripening period, which led to concentrated flavours with fresh acidity.

Tasting Notes: This wine offers bright citrus and green apple flavours with a touch of minerality. Its crisp acidity and light body make it perfect for starting the meal, refreshing the palate and complementing the full-bodied canapés. The surprise here was that there were 2 styles of bottles – 1 showed minerality and freshness, the other, full body, flinty and flabbiness and Burgundian style. Both were good but I preferred the flinty/minerality style.

Main course wines

• 2018 Domaine William Fevre Chablis

Vintage Notes: 2018 was an excellent year for Chablis, with warm weather producing ripe, expressive wines that still maintained good acidity. The growing season led to balanced, concentrated wines with both fruit and minerality.

Tasting Notes: This wine had bright citrus, green apple, and subtle pear notes, with a strong mineral backbone. Its vibrant acidity and clean finish make it an ideal pairing for the fish and chips. Personally, I found the Petite Chablis more interesting and refreshing and would have gone well with the fish and chips as well.

• 2020 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune Au Bout du Monde

Vintage Notes: 2020 was a warm year in Burgundy, producing rich, concentrated wines with lower acidity compared to cooler vintages. However, in the hands of skilled winemakers like Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey, the wines retained freshness alongside ripe fruit.

Tasting Notes: This wine offers notes of ripe stone fruits like peach and apricot, alongside a slight nuttiness and refreshing minerality. It is fuller-bodied than typical Chablis, which helps it hold up to the richness of the fish and chips, while the minerality and freshness balance out the dish. A wine with tannin and flabbiness, this was a terrific wine and paired with the meal very well. An excellent drink.

Cheese wines

• 2017 Domaine Christian Clerget Bourgogne Rouge

Vintage Notes: 2017 was a classic vintage for red Burgundy, producing elegant, lighter-bodied wines with bright acidity and expressive fruit. The vintage is known for its finesse, with balanced, approachable wines in their youth.

Tasting Notes: This Pinot Noir delivered vibrant red fruit flavours such as cherry and raspberry, with subtle earthy undertones. It has light body and fresh acidity. We had a Stilton today and the cheese slightly overpowered this wine.

• 2017 Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier
  Vintage Notes: 2017 in Canberra was a great vintage for Shiraz Viognier, producing wines with bright fruit and floral aromatics. The cooler growing season allowed for more finesse and elegance in the wine.

Tasting Notes: This wine combines the richness of Shiraz with the floral lift of Viognier. It presents flavours of red and dark fruit with a silky texture, complemented by spicy undertones. Its aromatic complexity makes it a versatile pairing with cheese, adding depth and richness to the cheese course. The sweetness of the Viognier lifted the fruit of the Shiraz and matched well with the Stilton. A good wine and drinks well now, with years to go.

3 September 2024 James Hill

Food review by the CoTD James Hill and wine review by Stephen O'Halloran

Food

First lunch of spring with yours truly in the kitchen.

Canapés

First up French onion loaf, a recipe from Helen Goh baked with caramelised onions and a batter of flour, eggs Comte and Parmesan served warm with a dab of French goat’s cheese.

Gary Linnane assisted today with a canapé of smoked salmon mixed with dill, crème fraîche, and lemon zest and topped with Yarra Valley salmon roe.

I loved the flavours of this canapé salmon dominant not overwhelmed by the other ingredients. A great balance of flavour and texture.

Next up was the last of this season’s truffle shaved on some French goat’s cheese on crostini.

Main

Inspired by a Peter Gilmore recipe. Duck breast with prunes Pedro Ximenes sherry, sherry vinegar, black pudding and cauliflower cream.

The duck breasts were seasoned then rendered and finished in the oven, they sat on top of a cauliflower cream that had some cayenne heat.

Prunes were marinated overnight in water and then warmed for fifteen minutes in Pedro Ximenes sherry and sherry vinegar. The prunes were removed and the remaining jus reduced to make the sauce.

Some greens on the plate, snow pears blanched then finished in butter and seasoning. A good crunch!

Black pudding availability was scarce so we sourced three versions Rodriguez brothers Villawood, Sam the Butcher, Bondi and an unknown maker purchased from the Russian deli Bondi. All very good yet different.

The result was a dish showing a layer of sweet, sour, salty flavours, balance and texture.

Much praise to the team in the kitchen assisting with meal preparation and plating.

Cheese

I requested one of my favourite cheeses today, a French semi-hard cow’s milk blue, ’Fourme D’Ambert’ It didn’t present as well as we’ve seen it in the past, today a little dry missing the moist creaminess.

A tall cylindrical cow’s milk cheese made in the twin towns of Ambert and Montbrison and matured in old railway tunnels in the Auvergne.

The cheese is often featured in the original stained glass windows of the local churches and legend claims it was the forbear of the Stilton recipe introduced to the English Midlands at the time of the 11th-century Norman Invasion.Easily recognisable by its shape, which gently concertinas as the cheese matures, the natural rind is a powdery grey-blue, and the texture is soft, dense and sticky with marbled blue veining. Mild and creamy, it has a good blue mould aftertaste.

Accompanied by a salad of shaved fennel and apple with parsley, evoo, and apple cider vinegar dressing.

Bread today a sourdough from Humble Bakery Circular Quay.

Wine

The theme for today was essentially duck and Pinot, a union blessed by the Saints. James Hill did a wonderful job with the Duck, which was perfectly presented. A great effort. See Food Report for details.

We started with an Austrian white, a 2017 Gemischter Satz a blend of potentially, 13 grape varieties. I was shown a list of the possible contenders for inclusion and my best guess was that there was some Riesling, some Gruner Veltliner, some Muller Thurgau and possibly some Pinot Gris. This would be the perfect wine to take to a masked tasting, it would torment even the experts. As far as the wine was received today, it was regarded as a pleasing match for the superb pass-around prepared by James. I was baffled in trying to put out a sensible description of the wine, other than to say it was exotic, with lots of mixed fruit, but quite dry, well balanced with a clean finish. My research indicates that the good folk in Austria seem to enjoy it, and good luck to them.  

The red wines. We kicked of with two highly respected Pinots, a Georges Lignier Chambolle – Musigny 2012 12.5% and a Farrside by Farr, 2012 13.5%. The French wine presented as a medium weight Pinot of red brick colour with some hints of dark fruit flavours. An elegant wine, a great match for the duck, but the finish lacked any lingering aftertaste, possibly due to diminishing acid.

The Farr Pinot was a bigger wine, showing great depth of colour and flavour, a beautiful combination of oak, fruit and tannin leading to a balanced silky finish. Great with the duck.  But again like the French wine, the aftertaste disappeared quickly, due to diminishing acid. Perhaps both wines were not suited for long term cellaring, the view around the room was that both wines would have been more enjoyable about 4/5 years ago.

Wine three was a Northern Rhone Syrah, a Maxime Graillot Equinoxe Crozes-Hermitage from 2015, 13%.  This wine poured out of the bottle with an impenetrable blackness through which no light could pass. Indeed it was the colour of black ink. The wine had an unusual taste on the front palate, intense stewed fruit, with very powerful tannins and oak all combining to produce a wine I thought was out of balance. A degree of volatility was noticeable. Perhaps the wine needed more bottle age or be put into a carafe for some hours before being drunk. Either way, the wine was not in my view enjoyable.

The last wine for the day was the Farr Shiraz 2014 13.5%. I really enjoyed this wine from Geelong. A wonderful mix of spicy shiraz, oak and grippy tannins. Tons of flavour and deep dark Shiraz fruit colours, but at the same time all in harmony, leading to a clean, powerful wine with a satisfying and lingering finish. Perfect with the cheese. An excellent wine, my pick of the day.

27 August 2024 Mark Bradford

Food review by James Hill and wine review by Steve Liebeskind

Food

Our cheese master Mark Bradford was in the kitchen today cooking for our monthly wine tasting.

Canapés

We love sausage rolls, and we had two types today. Firstly “Thai style" with red curry, coconut, panko and fish sauce followed by “French style" with French onion soup powder and Dijon mustard.

Both were eagerly devoured by members.

Then came Denys Moore's secret pâte on mini toast with sliced cucumber. I thought I could taste some truffle in the pâte which was somewhat hidden by the largish slices cucumber. Good flavour and mouthfeel.

Main

We sat to an entrée of cream of potato and leek soup with dukkha and fennel frond garnish to enjoy while tasting our wines.

Our main was advertised as ‘coq au vin with a twist’. Mark presented a coq au vin pie, and it was a good match for our wines today.

They were in blind baked shortcrust pastry shells with a stew of chicken thigh, lardons, French shallots, sliced button mushrooms, garlic, flour, Bordeau, Maggie Beer chicken stock, bay leaf, thyme sprigs. The chicken was removed and shredded to fit the pie, vegetables and lardons put on top and baked for 15 minutes. Topped with half ruby burst tomato and seated on zucchini and rice tian (based on Julia Child recipe). Stacked potato gratin with gruyere cheese, Lurpak butter, heavy cream, thyme initially baked in muffin pan.

A lot of thought and effort in today’s lunch and we were well rewarded with flavour and texture marriage perfect for lunch.

Merci Mark.

Cheese

In theme, Mark presented a French hard cow’s milk cheese ‘Bourgogne-Franche-Comté’.

Made from unpasteurised milk, this hard-cooked raw milk cheese is made at small dairies or fruitieres using the milk from several herds of Montbeliard cows.

This cheese was matured in the damp underground cellars of Marcel Petite at Fort Saint Antoine high in the mountains that border France and Switzerland in the Franche-Comte.

It’s specially selected to wear the prestigious red ‘crown’ of quality on the basis of its rich concentrated nutty texture, elegant caramel sweetness, and lingering kaleidoscope of flavours rather than on how long it is aged.

Simply served with some almonds and sliced Packham pears.

Wine

Canapé wines

2009 Hugel Jubilee Riesling, Alsace. This wine was an absolute pleasure for an aperitif. At 13.5% we were presented with a wine showing some yellowing after 15 years of age from a bottle under cork. There was good fresh fruit, slight sweetness and some minerality but this was balanced out with good acid structure. The wine had a level of complexity and balance, good length and thoroughly enjoyable for all. Well received by the members.

Tasting wines

1             2007     E. Guigal Saint-Joseph Vignes de L'Hospice Syrah. The 2007 was a good vintage and this wine showed developed earthy, herbal notes alongside its dark fruit and spice. It was an honest wine and showed well. Mind you as it stayed in the glass it did fade indicating it should be drunk now.

2             2007     E. Guigal Cote Rôtie Brune Et Blonde Syrah and some Viognier. This was a highlight wine of the day. It showed as an elegant, integrated and well-balanced wine with soft tannins and complex layers of florals and smoke. There was good length and stayed strong in the glass.

3             2007     Tyrrell's Vat 9 Shiraz 2007 was the vintage of the decade, and it showed. The wine showed balanced acidity, savoury earth tones with good length, and a smart finish. This was a medium-bodied wine based on 13.5% alcohol, complex, and drinking at its peak with a number of years ahead of itself. A comment about possible VA with lifted acid was made.

4             2006     Tyrrell's 4 Acres Shiraz. While 2006 didn’t reach the heights of 2007 as a general vintage, it was a good year, which allowed the quality of a single vineyard to shine through. Great colour, balance, length, soft structure, and an elegant finish. Good acid and still has its life ahead of it. There were tertiary notes of tobacco and leather. The 4 Acres was a complex wine void of bret and scored slightly higher than the Vat 9. 

5             2006     Seppelt St Peters Grampian Shiraz. Moving to the Grampians in Victoria and one of Stephen O’Halloran’s favourites, we had a wine from an excellent vintage. The St Peters had a firm, spicy profile with added complexity and cedar/leathery nuances. Showing extremely well for an 18-year-old wine under screw cap. A please to drink and close to being a gold medal wine.

6             2006     Penfolds RWT Barossa Valley Shiraz. Moving into South Australia we were expecting the alcohol to dominate. In fact, this wine had great richness and complexity, with the wine evolving into dried fruit and chocolate and had a velvety texture. This was an excellent wine with its life ahead of it. While the alcohol was there it was elegant and with extra breathing, the wine softened with breathing. Like the Vat 9 was there a bit of VA to lift acidity (an old Penfold trick)? This created good discussion and interest. 

All wines were good to very good and in fact it was up to the individual persons' style and preference when assessing a ranking. All wines were high-scoring and certainly, there were no duds. All in attendance enjoyed the wines and personal preference created great discussion. While some may not enjoy some Shiraz, the audience gave praise to the wines and the order served. These wines complemented the terrific main and cheese presented. Standouts were the Brune et Blonde, RWT and 4 Acres.

20 August 2024 Amosh and REX team

Food review by James Hill and wine review by Stephen O'Halloran

Food

A full house for our truffle lunch today with new head chef Amosh at the Royal Exchange preparing our main course with truffles very generously donated by member David Gregory. Steve Liebeskind and yours truly prepared the canapés.

Canapes

Canapés were topped with scraped and shaved truffle.

• Warmed leek and potato soup aka vichyssois in a shot glass.

• Goat’s cheese on crostini.

• Vic’s meats black truffle salami kurobuta rare breed pork pinned with radish.

• Seared roast beef topped with enoki mushrooms and truffle sitting on pea purée and toasted bread. The truffle pea purée was made a day before for a flavour boost.

Main course

Chicken pithivier on chicken cream sauce with bowls of pomme purée and lashings of truffle!

Breasts of chicken were seared and then marinated overnight with seasoning and paprika. The pie filling was made with truffle, shiitake mushroom, bechamel sauce, seeded mushroom and tarragon.

Butter pastry was used for the and it sat on a sauce made from leftover bechamel sauce, chicken stock, Dijon mustard shredded truffle and cream. It was an interesting observation that salt highlighted the truffle aroma.

As many commented it looked simple yet a complex dish, as Richard Gibson said “the ultimate comfort food yet fine dining quality”.

A flavoursome pie filling with not overly creamy delicate texture and perfectly presented.

It was Amoush’s solo first lunch cooking for us since being made Head Chef and he was presented with a chef’s toque as a token of appreciation by our Society.

Canapés and main were highly commended and enjoyed by members at lunch today.

Cheese

Many had an idea of the cheese (French origin?) today presented by our master Mark Bradford however when revealed it was a pleasant surprise as it was a high-quality Australian cheese. It was Woombye Cheese Company Triple Cream Brie Artisan Cow's Milk White from Queensland.

Woombye Triple Cream Brie is made using this fine quality local milk to which extra cream is added. This extra cream means that below the delicate white bloomy rind found on the outside, there is a deliciously rich and creamy paste. This cheese is turned by hand every day throughout its maturation to allow the rind to develop perfectly.

Accompanied by a salad of mixed leaves and tomato and a dried fig softened with brandy and star anise.

Wine

Today our resident sous Chef Amosh, became our resident Head Chef with the departure of Rob Doll. So today it was Amosh on the high wire, without a net, and boy did he come through with flying colours! The main course was a chicken and mushroom truffle pithivier with creamy truffle mash, in a word magnificent! Congratulations to our new Chef. Steve Liebeskind and James Hill created some superb pass-arounds, so we were well fed, to say the least. See the full food report for more detail.

The aperitif wines were two top Chardonnays, first a Curley Flat and the second a Yabby Lake, both from 2015. Of the two, the general consensus favoured the Yabby Lake. To my taste, the Curley Flat had a hard to identify problem on the first sip. The wine was fairly deep yellow and now being 9 yo, perhaps a little oxidised? The flavour was still good, very buttery with some oak evident. Very much like a Chardonnay made in the 1980s. By no means unpleasant, the wine left me thinking, was there a winemaking fault or just getting on a bit?

The second wine presented no such issues, it was a delight. Much lighter in colour and texture, well balanced with generous fruit and acid, taught and disciplined on the mid-palate, finishing with a crisp lingering taste. A top wine. More please.

For the main course, the first was a Tolpuddle Pinot 2014 from Tasmania 12.5%.  Great PN nose, with a medium weight. A very good Australian PN, however when compared to the following wine its one dimensional character became obvious. Nothing wrong with the wine at all, left alone would be well regarded, but the contrast with the following French PN showed its lack of complexity.

The second wine was the Cheron Chambolle-Musigny also from 2014 12.8%. These French folk really know how to make great PN. Considerably denser in colour than the Tolpuddle, with a more alluring mouthfeel, and a clean finish. Beautiful balance of fruit, acid, soft tannins and gentle oak. In my view a really lovely wine, wish I had some. A great choice for today’s lunch.

Third wine was a Massolino Langhe Nebbiolo 2014 13.5%. Apparently an entry-level Nebbiolo which to me was more than just acceptable, indeed I really enjoyed it. Medium weight and quite elegant despite the usual strong tannic and acidic taste of this particular grape. A perfect food wine, as the Italians are such masters in creating. A smooth but firm finish with hints of tar and licorice for which this grape is well known. If this is entry-level, please escort me to the next level!

The final wine for the day was a beauty, the Tyrrells Vat 9 Shiraz 2014, 13.9%. The vintage of 2014 is widely regarded as one of the best in the Hunter for decades, perfect growing conditions produced wonderful reds and whites in that year. For this reason, I was really excited about tasting this wine, one of Tyrrell's top reds. The wine presented in glass with deep black/purple hues, and a strong aroma of dark fruits and spice. On the palate, the wine was superb, great balance, elegant yet powerful with restrained oak and tannin aspects. Plenty of acid still, resulting in a clean satisfying aftertaste.  No sign of ageing, I see this wine drinking with excellence well into the next decade.   Whilst I was a great fan of the Musigny, I was super impressed with the Vat 9, a classic Hunter destined for greatness.

13 August 2024 Steve Liebeskind

Food review by James Hill and wine review by Stephen O'Halloran

Food

Chef of renown Steve Liebeskind was in the kitchen today cooking for our mixed lunch, he was assisted by member David Simmonds.

Canapes

• Fennel puree on puff pastry with salmon on top – fennel and fennel seeds cooked with butter and stock, pureed
• Marinated herring on pumpernickel – the herring was combined with red onion, grated green apple and cream
• Steak tartare on pressed puffed pastry – eye fillet finely chopped, onion, cornichons, anchovy, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and tabasco sauce

Bountiful interesting and flavoursome canapés today were much appreciated and commented on by members and guests.

Main

This was a fine dining quality dish today with lots of ingredients that came together on the plate eye-pleasing, flavoursome and textural.

Eye fillet (seared and then in oven) with pepper sauce topped with parsnip chips served with mushroom, red cabbage, potato, parsnip mash and brussel sprouts (last two in bowls for table). The eye fillet was perfectly cooked, and we loved the pepper sauce. The mushroom had some soy sauce in the cap to add another flavour burst to our palates.

Many favourable comments on all aspects of our meal today, a lot of effort and preparation evident today. Thanks Steve and David.

Cheese

Presented by yours truly and requested by Steve, one of his favourite cheeses, Fromager D’Affinois Florette.

A goat’s cheese from France, the name d’Affinois is a play on affinage, the French word for the ripening polices of cheese.

Florette is a hexagonal-shaped goat’s milk cheese with a silky consistency made near Pelussin in the Rhone Valley. As it ripens, the cheese becomes quite runny retaining its delicate creamy goat’s milk flavour. It came to the table in perfect condition and temperature.

Steve accompanied the cheese with a salad of green leaf with roast capsicum and roasted slivered almonds and dressed with a vinaigrette.

We were lucky to have a homemade almond biscuit with a walnut top and dark chocolate base to go with our coffee today.

Wine

It was a mixed lunch at the WFS, and it turned out to be a very enjoyable afternoon indeed. Steve Liebeskind put on a terrific meal of roast fillet with all the trimmings, as well as some delicious pass-arounds. An excellent meal, see Food Report for more details. With regard to the wines, we got the party rolling with the best party starter in the game, vintage Champagne! Us blokes only dream of having Vintage Bubbles, but there it was for the ladies a 2012, Ch Duperrey Brut from Epenay, and very nice it was too! Despite the wine now being 12 yo, it had plenty of fizz and great flavour. An excellent match with the herring.

There then followed a dry white from France, a Blouctet Garnier Bichot Aligote 2021 from the Burgundy. A modest 12%, an enjoyable wine, firm and with a crisp finish due to quite a high acidity. The wine is very popular in France as an aperitif wine, lighter in body and flavour compared to a Chardonnay, but nonetheless a pleasing pre-lunch wine.

We then moved on to our main course wines, three Shiraz all from 2010. No problems with ageing, all bottles were in peak condition.

First, was the Lindeman’s Bin 1003 13%, made from grapes grown on the company’s famous Ben Ean Vineyard, one of the oldest in the Hunter. The wine opened with a massive dark colour, huge fruit flavours of cherry and dark plumb. Some sweet oak was present in the mid-palate. Mild tannin and just enough acid to ensure a smooth, clean finish. An excellent wine.

The second wine was my pick of the bracket, the Tyrrells Old Patch 13.4%. This vineyard was originally planted in 1867 and is the oldest producing vineyard in the Hunter. Tyrrells purchased the land from the Stevens Family several years ago, and Bruce Tyrrell considers it to be his favourite bit of dirt.  To my taste, this was a wonderful wine, much lighter in body, colour and structure than the preceding wine, yet more flavoursome and powerful in the mid-palate. A velvety combination of oak, tannin and acid producing a wine of elegance, flavour and power, despite its lighter presentation when compared to the Lindemans. I think we have all been fortunate to partake in some of this wonderful wine.

 The third wine was the Rosemont Balmoral from McLaren Vale 14.5%. Drinking after the Old Patch was always going to present a challenge to any wine, but in fairness, I think the Balmoral did a fine job. A big wine storms out of the bottle with inky dark fruit flavours of plum, blackberry and black currant. Lots of evidence of oak influence, with strong tannins at the finish. Yet, the wine in its own way was well-balanced and a joy to drink

The final wine was the Tyrrells Bin 63 Semillion/Chardonnay blend 2017,  12.5%. As I made clear in my summation of the wines, I have always disliked this wine right from its inception in the early 1970’s.  With the excellent pedigree of Chardonnay and Semillion as its parents I had high hopes for this style, which were soon dashed with my first taste. A boring wine with no appealing aspects. Why ruin a nice Chardy or a nice Sem by mixing them together? The best features of its parent wines were not reproduced in their offspring, a nondescript, flavourless dullard of a wine to be avoided if at all possible. However, being a fair man, giving credit if and when due, I must say that the wine was a reasonable partner for the pungent strong flavours of the excellent goat’s cheese. Despite this throw away parting gesture of a few crumbs of praise, I can assure you all that there has never been a bottle of this wine in my cellar.

6 August 2024 Greg Sproule

Food review by James Hill and wine review by James Tinslay

Food

Greg Sproule former Food Master was in the kitchen today allegedly preparing a meal of (allegedly) Persian Lamb.

Greg told us his inspiration came from some young Persian people who he had met recently. He was interested in their food and culture.

They help source the ingredients and recipe for today’s lunch.

Canapés

First up some Dolmas – vine-wrapped rice, beef spiced with cinnamon, cloves and lemon juice (note Persian/ Iranian variation of this dish is square wraps with beef added) all the flavour was there, the vine leaves needed some steaming to make it easier to bite into as they were quite chewy and very moist.

Then some chicken kababs – Greek yogurt, saffron, lime, lemon and onion chicken skewers again flavoursome however a tad dry.

Main

Greg arrived for prep at 12:35 pm which made things a little hectic in the kitchen. All the ingredients were but there they just needed to be put together.

President Bill Alexiou rolled his sleeves up and directed the proceedings. It was Amosh’s first lunch as Head Chef and they did a great job getting the food out albeit later than usual. This dish should have come with a content warning as small sour cherries were used unfortunately, as some found out, still seeded.

Persian jewelled rice – cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, apricots, pistachio, onion, saffron

Khoresht e Ghormeh Sabzi – (King of Persian cuisine) – Beef, onion, leek, parsley, cilantro, fenugreek, lime turmeric

Fesenjam – (Queen of Persian cuisine) – Duck, walnuts ground, pomegranate molasses, cinnamon, onion, pomegranate seeds.

The flavours and aroma were authentic it came together with a blending of fresh and dried ingredients to create the dish.

Cheese

Our cheese master Mark Bradford sourced some Persian feta from the Yarra Valley.

Fetta cheese made with pasteurised cow’s milk, salt, canola oil, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, thyme, peppercorns and bay Leaves.

Greg accompanied the cheese with almonds, dates, apricots, pistachio mixture and a

Shirazi Salad – Cucumber, Lettuce, Tomato

Bread today was sourdough from a humble bakery Circular Quay.

Wine

Having written well over 200 wine and food reviews for Society lunches I am somewhat reticent to get back on the treadmill. However, our friend Stephen O’Halloran was unavailable for lunch, so you have my review.

You will see that my review misses the entertaining comments, his research and ‘taking the piss’ approach that Stephen does so well and is much appreciated by members. His entertaining style of writing is a bit weird for a lawyer but then again, I’m a boring engineer! Thank you, Stephen.

As has been happening most weeks Nick our Winemaster is clearing the wine fridge at REX of orphan wines of which we have many. So, only those wines that all tables had will be mentioned.

We had two main wines with canapés. We started with the Günther Steinmetz Kestener Herrenberg Riesling 2011. This German Mosel wine of 13 years of age was more than interesting with solid Riesling fruit on the palate with a slight touch of residual sugar despite being predominantly dry in style. Very German. It had developed a degree of complexity over the years and was most enjoyable.

The second wine was Tyrrell’s HVD Semillon 2014. This wine was enjoyed around the room with the canapés, and it ticked all the boxes for a 10-year-old Semillon from Tyrrell’s. It has a future, and we hope to see it again.

The first of two wines shared by all at table (as I recall) was Curly Flat Pinot Noir 2016 from the Macedon ranges. Their wines have a very good reputation and are not priced for the bargain bin. The meniscus was quite brown, and the nose was mature. Surprisingly, I found this wine past its best. Unbalanced with some sweetness the major component. It improved marginally in the glass. Others like that old over-mature style.

The second was the Seppelt Drumborg Riesling also 2016. This wine had everything you wanted in a Riesling, dry, with good acid balance and obvious Riesling character.